The skunk has two glands under its tail that produce a truly foul smelling liquid. Before spraying an enemy with first stamp its paws on the ground as a warning. If the warning goes unheeded, it will lift its tail to signify that it is going to spray. The next step is a spray of foul liquid which can travel up to four and a half metres. This spray chokes and blinds the enemy, and leaves a horrible lingering odour that takes a long time to disappear, giving the skunk plenty of time to escape.